The Journey
by maknae123
Summary: A collection of one-shots following Fai and Kurogane as they travel through different worlds with Syaoran and Mokona, and how their relationship develops. Post-series.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone! I just finished my story "My Life With You" a few of weeks ago and I've been dying to write more! So I decided that until I can come up with a plot for a chaptered story again, I would write this!**

**This is going to be a collection of one-shots, all differing in length and plot. It's all about Kurogane's, Fai's, and Syaoran's journeys through different worlds after the end of Tsubasa, focusing on Kurogane and Fai, of course, and on different things like meeting their counterparts from another world, and on little adventures they get into, etc. It will also focus on Kurogane and Fai's growing relationship, and how the journey brings them closer and closer together.**

**Also, every one shot will be different, as I said. One might be very funny and happy, and the next might be full of angst! But don't worry, I'll try to warn you so that you can prepare your minds! And, unlike my previous story, this will not be updated weekly! It will be updated as I write the oneshots, which I don't want to do weekly. I'll just do it as it comes to me, so there might be two updates in one day or one update after 2 weeks. Of course, I will try very hard not to go over 2 weeks without a oneshot. **

**Also, if you have a funny/sad/interesting idea for a oneshot, just go ahead and message me or leave it in the reviews, and I'll try to work it into a oneshot!**

**Okay, I promise my ANs are never this long, only on the first chapter when I have to explain everything! About this particular chapter (I'll try to give maybe one or two sentences about each chapter), nothing too deep happens. It's just a oneshot full of Fai and Kurogane trying not to get in trouble...**

**Anyway, I hope you are all interested and will take the time to review, follow, and of course, enjoy!**

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During their travels, Fai had always wondered why they never ended up running into the Kurogane, Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura of another world. In the beginning, he was thankful—he didn't want his clueless counterpart to say something that would reveal too much—but now he was curious. Did they have bad timing? Did they always just end up missing their counterparts?

They had been travelling without Sakura for a few weeks—Fai thought, anyway. It was hard to tell when you were always travelling around. Mokona had just dropped them into a new world and while Kurogane was pointlessly yelling at the fur ball to be more careful, Syaoran and Fai were looking around.

The world reminded Fai a bit of Oto, and big trees with pink blossoms were lining the streets that young adults in matching clothes were walking down. "Looks like those kids are wearing uniforms," Syaoran said.

Fai laughed and shook his head while standing up. "You're probably not much older than those kids, you know." He turned to Kurogane, getting the taller male to break his glare from Mokona. "There were trees like this in Nihon, right?"

Kurogane looked up at the trees and a wind blew past, causing pink petals to fall from their branches and swirl around them in the breeze. "Yeah, they're cherry blossom trees."

A few of the girls ahead of them squealed when the petals fell around them and a boy plucked one out of a girl's hair, making her blush. Fai laughed and pointed. "That kid kind of reminds me of Syaoran, don't you think, Kuro-puu?"

"That is Syaoran!" Mokona cried from her place on Syaoran's shoulder. "And the girl is Sakura!"

The group looked back at the kids ahead of them and Syaoran's mouth dropped open. "B-But… How can that..."

"I bet they're students!" Mokona said with a big smile on her face. "Look, they're walking to a school!"

Fai smiled and nudged Kurogane's arm. "What do you say we follow them, Kuro-sama?"

Kurogane scoffed and crossed his arms. "You do what you want, idiot, but I'm not going to follow."

Fai ended up dragging the group into a clothing store to get clothes that wouldn't stick out too much, and Kurogane had to rip a flowery furisode out of the blonde's hands to keep him from purchasing it.

"Kuro-mean doesn't ever let me have fun," Fai mumbled as the group left in their now normal looking clothes. Fai looked down at the simple pair of jeans and the t-shirt he was wearing and pouted.

"Look! There's the school!" Mokona cried as she pointed up at the large building.

"Horitsuba Private School?" Syaoran said, reading the letters on the front of the building.

"Let's go in!" Fai cried, but Kurogane grabbed the back of his shirt before he could run off.

"Idiot, we can't just walk in!" Kurogane growled.

"Sure we can!" Fai said as he pointed to the doors beyond the gate. "We just have to go through those doors!"

Before Kurogane could stop him, Fai was out of his grasp and running towards the school with Mokona bouncing on his shoulder. Kurogane cursed angrily to himself—how the hell was Fai able to escape a ninja anyway?—and looked at Syaoran.

"Come on, we have to go get those idiots," Kurogane said quietly.

Syaoran frowned. "But if someone sees me in there, things could get bad."

Kurogane crossed his arms in thought. "Think you can find somewhere to hide?"

Syaoran had a smile on his face in a heartbeat and turned around to point to a large building. Kurogane read the sign outside the building and snorted to himself when he saw it was a library. "I'll go in there and start researching things about this world," Syaoran said excitedly.

Kurogane nodded. "Stay in there until we come to get you," He said before turning to follow after Fai, who was already walking through the halls and looking around with his mouth hanging open.

"Wow," He said to himself. Mokona was in Fai's hands to keep from getting noticed to easily, and she was looking around just as much.

"Fai sensei!"

Fai stopped and turned around, finding a teenage girl walking over to him. He looked around and then hid Mokona behind his back. "Are you addressing me?" He asked, pointing to himself.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Of course! Is there another Fai sensei here?" She held out a piece of paper. "This is the homework I wasn't able to turn in yesterday."

Fai was about to take it, but then stopped and scratched the back of his head. "You know what? I'm in a hurry, can you just leave it on my… my desk?"

The girl blinked and tilted her head. "But you told me to—"

"Okay, so that will be on my desk by the end of today!" Fai said, interrupting her. "I'll see you later!" He turned and walked away quickly, turning down an abandoned hallway and looking down at Mokona. "What do you think that means?"

"There must be another Fai in this world!" Mokona said quietly to Fai.

"But if there's another Fai, then does that mean—"

"Oi!"

Fai froze and hid Mokona behind his back, looking up to see Kurogane stalking towards him. He smiled in relief. "Oh, it's just you, Kuro-sama," He said. He stopped and looked at the taller male, blinking his eyes. "But… Where did you get those clothes?" He asked, pointing to the sweat suit Kurogane was wearing.

"Tch, what the hell are you talking about?" Kurogane asked as he crossed his arms. "What are you doing in _those_ clothes? Aren't you supposed to be teaching a class right now?"

"There must be another Kuro-pon, too!" Mokona whispered behind Fai.

Fai gulped and took a step back. "You're right! I was just on my way! I'll see you later!"

Kurogane raised a brow. "Your class is the other way," He said, watching Fai's retreating footsteps.

Fai stopped and smiled. "Of course it is! But I have to go to the bathroom, so I'll see you later, Kuro-pon!"

"I said to stop with those damn nicknames!" Kurogane yelled after Fai as he ran away.

Fai ran down a few random halls and stopped, looking down at Mokona. "It seems that the Fai here is the same as me," He said as he looked over his shoulder.

"Fai, do you hear that?" Mokona whispered. Fai looked down at Mokona and listened carefully, hearing a voice floating down to him. "It sounds like you!"

Fai nodded and walked down the hall quietly, peeking into an open door. He watched as a man who looked just like him stood at the front of the class, mixing something in a bowl and explaining to the students in front of him exactly what he was doing.

A hand grabbed the back of his shirt, causing him to stumble back. He turned around and looked up, finding Kurogane—his Kurogane—looking down at him. "What the hell are you doing?" Kurogane asked.

Fai smiled. "You know, the Kurogane of this world asked me the same thing."

Kurogane's eyes widened and he looked around. "What?!" He hissed.

Fai smiled and pointed at the open door. He looked in and Kurogane followed suit, making sure to keep hidden as he watched the man identical to Fai walk around the tables.

"Am I doing this right, Yui-sensei?" A young girl asked.

"Isn't Yui your real name?" Kurogane whispered to Fai.

Fai nodded and watched as this world's Yui smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, that's perfect," He said very softly.

"He's nothing like you," Kurogane said bluntly.

Fai frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He doesn't look like an idiot and he's not annoying," Kurogane said as he stepped away from the door. Fai put his hands onto his hips, his mouth open and ready for a snarky retort.

"You two!"

The two froze and turned around, making sure to hide Mokona. Fai looked at Kurogane when they saw none other than Yuko walking towards them. She smiled and walked over to them, popping her hip out.

"Oh, it's you two," She said. "Spying on Yui, are you? I'm surprised you convinced Kurogane to join you, Fai."

Fai laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, making his ponytail flip over his shoulder. "You know that Kuro-sama can't resist me."

Yuko smirked. "Oh yes, I know," She said, purposely looking at Kurogane, who blushed and sputtered. "But Fai, when did you start growing your hair out?" She asked, stepping forward to look at the hair Fai kept tied back. "Did you decide to copy Yui?"

Fai covered his hair and smiled. "That's right! I've been keeping it hidden until now!"

Yuko hummed and then smiled knowingly. "I see… Well, you two have fun. And don't get caught."

With that, she turned and walked away. Fai glanced at Kurogane, who was looking back at him. "What did she—"

A shrill ringing sound cut Fai off, making the two jump. "What the—" Kurogane started, stopping when classroom doors began to open and kids they towered over began filling the hall.

"Oh, it's Fai sensei and Kurogane sensei," A young girl identical to Sakura said with a smile. "Are you two going to join Yui sensei for lunch?"

Right when she asked, the twin named Yui walked out. He smiled softly at Fai and Kurogane, and Fai swallowed thickly. It was a long time since he had seen someone identical to him.

"Oh, Fai and Kurogane," Yui said, his voice the same as Fai's but softer. "Did we have something planned?"

Fai smiled and shook his head. "No! Um, you see, Kuro-sama and I were um… We were racing! And the kids got in our way! But they're clearing out now so we're going to continue our race!"

Yui tilted his head and Kurogane glared at Fai. "What the—"

"Ready go!" Fai yelled as he turned and ran away from Yui.

"Oi!" Kurogane yelled as he ran after Fai. The two turned the hall and disappeared from sight, and Yui frowned.

"That was strange…" He said quietly.

"Yui!"

He turned around and blinked his big blue eyes when Fai wrapped him up in his arms. "Fai?" Yui asked, stepping back to look at his brother, seeing Kurogane stalking up behind him. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "How did you get back here so fast? And what happened to your clothes?"

Fai tilted his head. "What are you talking about? I've been in these all day."

"That's not true," Kurogane said. "You were wearing some casual outfit when I ran into you earlier."

"Earlier?" Fai asked, looking at Kurogane and Yui.

Yui looked over his shoulder to where Fai and Kurogane—or who he thought were Fai and Kurogane—had run off. "Strange…"

In another hallway, Fai and Kurogane stopped and hunched over, breathing deeply. "Idiot," Kurogane growled. "Warn me before you do that!"

Fai stood up straight and looked around. There were doors on either side of the hall, and he saw names on the doors. "These are offices!" He cried, pointing to his own name. "Find yours!"

Fai opened the door—finding it unlocked, and slipped inside. "You idiot!" Kurogane hissed as he followed Fai inside. "Get out of here!"

"Why?" Fai asked. "It's my office." He grinned and opened a large cabinet, finding a few long, white coats. "Perfect!"

He pulled one out and wrapped it around his body, buttoning it up to hide the clothes he was wearing. Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "You—"

A knock at the door cut him off, and before he could do anything, Fai was shoving him into the cabinet. "Stay in there, Kuro-sama!" Fai whispered, shutting the cabinet.

Kurogane cursed to himself and tried to find a comfortable position in the cabinet while Fai opened the door, but it was impossible.

"Oh, Kuro-sama!" He heard Fai say, making him stop and pay attention. "What are you doing here?"

Fai stepped out of the way as Kurogane—this world's Kurogane—stepped into his office. "What do you mean? You asked me to come here during our open periods after lunch."

Fai grinned and nodded. "That's right! I did!"

The world's Kurogane rolled his eyes and closed the door. "So what, you wanna do it here? We almost got caught by a student last time, remember?"

Kurogane almost fell out of the cabinet when he heard himself say that, and Fai's eyes widened. "I… Agree with you! In fact, I wanted to tell you that we should never do it here ever again!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Never thought I'd hear you say that. Especially since Yui moved in and you've been afraid of him hearing—"

The cabinet doors fell open and Kurogane came tumbling out, making the Kurogane in front of Fai take a step back, his mouth open and ready to yell. Before he could though, the door to the office opened and a blonde man in a lab coat walked in.

"Kuro-puu, you got my—"

This world's Fai stopped and everyone looked at each other. "What the hell?" Kurogane finally asked—the Kurogane of this world.

Kurogane stood up from the floor and Fai moved to stand next to him, staring at their counterparts. "Fai, Kuro-pon, you left me!" Mokona cried as she suddenly flew into the room. Kurogane caught her in his hand without a problem, but this world's Kurogane took a step back.

"What the hell is that?" He asked.

"Mokona is Mokona!" Mokona cried happily.

"I think it's cute!" This world's Fai said.

"Idiot, don't get distracted!" This world's Kurogane yelled, looking back at Fai and Kurogane. "Who the hell are you two?"

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other and Fai cleared his throat to speak. "We're travelers. Along with a boy named Syaoran, we've been travelling to different worlds, and we ended up in this one. Mokona here uses magic to take us from world to world."

This world's Kurogane and Fai looked at each other for a moment. "Syaoran?" This world's Kurogane asked quietly.

Fai nodded. "There other Syaorans and Fais and Kuroganes in all of the different worlds. But this is the first time we've ever actually met ourselves."

"So do you have a twin too?" This world's Fai asked, smiling.

Fai swallowed and he felt Kurogane's eyes on him. "I… He's not with me."

The world's Fai frowned. "Oh… Well, that's too bad."

Fai nodded and looked down at the floor. "Fai! Kuro!" Mokona cried as her earring started glowing.

"Shit, we have to get the kid," Kurogane said quietly.

Fai smiled at the other Fai and Kurogane. "We have to be going." He pulled on Kurogane's arm to pull him out of the office, yelling a goodbye as he left behind the other Fai and Kurogane.

The two stopped running when they were outside of the school, seeing Syaoran standing outside of the library and looking around. "Why didn't you tell him the truth about your twin?" Kurogane asked quietly.

Fai smiled softly to himself. "Because I know myself, and I know that he would have asked a lot of questions that I didn't feel like answering."

Kurogane nodded, watching as Syaoran took notice of them and begin walking over to them. "It's weird that the Fai of this world is like you instead of the Yui."

Fai smiled. "I guess I was just meant to be Fai," He said quietly as Mokona's magic wrapped them up, plucking them from the world to move them onto the next one.

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**AN: Sorry, but I couldn't resist starting the whole thing off with Horitsuba! I hope it didn't get too confusing... I tried to make it as clear as possible.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading and be sure to follow so that you can read future oneshots!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks so much to the people who have followed this story so far! I would have had this chapter up sooner, but I was doing homework all day yesterday, so it had to wait until today. **

**So in today's chapter, things get a little bit sweeter as they travel to a new world. And Kurogane might be realizing something that he doesn't quite want to admit... Please follow, review, and of course, enjoy!**

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As soon as they landed in the next world, Fai was hunched over with his hands on his knees. He took deep breaths, and Kurogane and Syaoran looked at each other in slight worry.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Kurogane asked.

"It's just… hot," Fai said as he stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm having some… trouble breathing."

Syaoran looked around. "There seems to be a bit of moisture in the air," He said knowingly. "That must be why you're having trouble breathing. Once you get used to it, you'll be fine."

"How are you used to it?" Kurogane asked. "Isn't Clow a desert?"

Syaoran smiled. "The rainy nights would get even more humid than this. And I guess Nihon is similar to this as well."

Kurogane crossed his arms. "Not this hot, but I can handle it. Unlike this idiot."

"Not… fair…" Fai mumbled quietly.

"Poor Fai is from a cold place!" Mokona said as she patted Fai's head comfortingly.

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Come on, I can see a sign for an inn."

Fai leaned against Kurogane as the group began walking and smiled. "Kuro-sama… You're so sweet…"

Kurogane didn't look at Fai. "Idiot… I didn't do anything."

He got Fai inside the inn and Syaoran got them rooms while Fai took deep breaths of the machine cooled air. Kurogane crossed his arms and looked away from Fai. He couldn't stop thinking about the previous world they had been in and the Fai and Kurogane from that world.

Had that world's Kurogane and Fai really been a couple? A couple that had sex in their school offices?

Kurogane glanced at Fai and looked away immediately. Of course he had thought about Fai as more than an acquaintance; even if he didn't act like it, he knew that they had a close relationship. And he had to admit, he thought about Fai romantically—when you're travelling with two kids and only one other adult, it's hard not to have those thoughts.

But it wasn't just lust, it was noticing small things, like how Fai's cheeks flushed pink when he exerted himself, or how his hair had been growing out. He noticed his intensely blue eyes and pink lips and—

What was he doing?! He was looking at Fai as if he were a girl!

Kurogane shook his head and sighed. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had taken an interest in Fai the day they met. At first it was just curiosity; he had wanted to know why Fai acted the way he did, with his fake smiles and lying words. But then it grew, and he no longer wanted to know why Fai acted that way, he wanted to be the one to make the façade come to an end. He wanted to get rid of whatever was troubling Fai.

And he did, so why wasn't he satisfied with just that?

"Kuro-sama looks like he's thinking hard," Fai said, now able to breathe easily.

Kurogane looked up at Fai and narrowed his eyes. "Because I actually have a brain to think with, unlike you, you idiot."

Fai hissed, but kept the smile on his face. "Ouch, Kuro-puu. That was cold. People might think we're having a lovers' quarrel if you talk like that."

Kurogane's eyes widened. "Wh-What the—"

"Okay, I got us a room!" Syaoran said, distracting Fai from Kurogane. "They only had one available though, so we'll have to share."

Fai smiled and plucked the key from Syaoran's hand. "That's fine! Let's go find our new home."

Fai led the group up the stairs and stopped in front of their room, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Inside there was a bed big enough for about two people and a couch.

Mokona jumped off of Fai's shoulder and to the couch, where she began jumping on the cushions. "This couch is small!" She said mid-flip.

"I can fit on it," Syaoran said. "Fai and Kurogane can take the bed."

Fai smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yay! It's been a while since I've slept in a real bed!" He looked up at Kurogane, who was still standing by the door. "What, are you going to sleep standing up? It's getting late you know."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and stalked over to the bed, but didn't sit down. "I'll sleep on the floor."

This time, Fai rolled his eyes. "Don't be silly, Kuro-wan! You don't know when you'll be able to get a good night's rest again, so just sleep in the bed. Unless… You have some reason to not want to sleep in the same bed as me."

Kurogane turned his back to Fai and sat down on the bed to begin taking his shoes off. "Stop talking like an idiot," He grumbled as he threw his shoes off.

Fai just laughed and stripped himself of the tight pants he had gotten in the previous world before getting comfortable under the covers. Kurogane glanced at Fai before lying down on top of the covers, not bothering to take off any of his clothes. His feet hung off the edge of the bed, but it was more comfortable than the floor, and he found himself falling asleep quickly.

The next morning, Kurogane was woken up by something bouncing on his head. He shot up and grabbed Mokona, squeezing her and giving the most sinister smile he could muster. "You little… I'm going to cook you," He said lowly.

Fai grabbed Mokona from Kurogane's grasp and smiled. "That's not a good threat since you can't cook, Kuro-puu."

Kurogane glared at Fai and put his feet on the cold floor. "Is the kid awake?"

Fai nodded. "Syaoran got up a while ago and left to start researching. I'm surprised you didn't wake up, Kuro-sama. You were sleeping like a rock."

Kurogane looked away and scratched the back of his head. It was true; it was strange for him to sleep so deeply. He had been trained to wake up at the sound of a pin dropping while still being able to get the sleep needed to be well rested. He must have been more exhausted than he originally thought.

Fai shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on. "Syaoran went out and sold some of our old clothes for money, so we're going to go get some new clothes."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "We don't need to get more clothes, what we have is fine."

"We only have the clothes from our home worlds and the clothes from Clow," Fai said. "And what we're wearing. You can stay in those dirty clothes, but I want something new."

Kurogane seriously contemplated staying at the inn, but Fai was right, they needed more clothes. Besides, he told himself, he had to make sure Fai didn't do something idiotic.

"It's so hot," Fai said as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. "But at least I can breathe now."

Mokona was resting in a bag Fai had slung over his shoulder, and when Kurogane followed behind him, he couldn't help but notice how feminine Fai looked. He had curves like a woman (except for the breasts, of course) and yet could fight on par with Kurogane. Kurogane crossed his arms as he watched Fai's long, skinny arms swing by his sides. It didn't make any sense.

"Ah, let's go in here!" Fai suddenly said while stopping, making Kurogane almost run into him.

They had stopped in front of a small store that didn't seem to be too expensive. Kurogane shrugged and followed Fai inside, shoving his hands into his pockets as he watched Fai walk around. In five minutes, Fai already had an arm full of clothes.

"Here Kuro-puu, I picked some things out for you!" Fai said as he shoved some dark clothes into Kurogane's arms.

"Idiot, we don't need this many clothes," Kurogane said as he accepted the clothes. They were simple, much like the clothes he already had on, which was a miracle considering the eccentric clothes Fai had picked out for himself.

"Doesn't mean I can't see how I look!" Fai sang as he went into a dressing room. Kurogane rolled his eyes and hung his clothes on the back of a chair to wait. He had nothing better to do, after all.

"Kuro-puu!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and looked up. "What now—?" He stopped when he saw Fai, and immediately knew it wasn't his Fai.

The Fai in front of him had on a very tight pair of dark pants and a loose shirt, where a nametag was pinned near his chest. In addition to that, his hair was shorter, much like Fai's hair had been when they had first met, and metal rings were poked through his ears, going all the way up the edge of his ears.

"You have got to be kidding me," Kurogane mumbled lowly to himself as this new Fai walked over to him.

"You came to visit me! I thought you had work!" This world's Fai said, grabbing Kurogane's arm.

Kurogane swallowed and looked away. "I… had a break," He said, not wanting to cause any trouble. He just prayed that his Fai would hear them and would know to stay in the dressing room.

This world's Fai smiled and pressed himself against Kurogane's arm. "How sweet! I can take my break now if you want to get lunch!"

"Um…" Kurogane swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "Go… ask. I'll see if I have time."

This world's Fai smiled and nodded before walking away. A hand shot out from the dressing room and pulled Kurogane into the tiny space. He stumbled in front of his Fai, who was wearing something similar to this world's Fai. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at that.

"Are you going to go out with him?" Fai asked.

Kurogane looked at him like he was crazy. "No way, I was going to sneak out before he came back."

Mokona hopped onto Fai's shoulder to look at Kurogane. "But that would be mean to Fai number two!"

Kurogane crossed his arms and glared at the two in front of him. "I am not going out with him."

"Kuro-wan! Where did you go?"

Fai glared at him and pointed at the curtain separating them. "Go, then I'll be able to buy these clothes without being caught!"

Before Kurogane could protest, Fai had pushed him out of the dressing room. He almost ran into this world's Fai, who jumped when he saw Kurogane. "Oh, there you are," He said with a smile. "Are you ready to go?"

Kurogane nodded, trying not to look too angry as this world's Fai dragged him out of the store. Once they were gone, Fai stepped out of the dressing room and bought the clothes he had picked out.

"Fai? Didn't you just leave with Kurogane?" The woman behind the counter asked.

Fai smiled and tilted his head. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused for someone else. My name is Yui."

She raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly and began ringing up his clothes. He let out a small breath of relief when she didn't ask any questions. She must not know about this world's Fai's twin, or this world's Fai didn't have a twin.

Fai walked out of the store and looked around, finding Kurogane sitting outside with this world's Fai at a restaurant across the street. Fai smiled to himself and let Mokona peek out of the bag to see as well.

"Let's leave them alone for a while and get our own lunch," Fai said happily as he walked away.

Across the street, this world's Fai chatted easily while Kurogane tried to keep up with his fast flowing words. He talked more than his Fai, and Kurogane didn't think that that was possible.

"Do you remember how much Yui loved salads?" This world's Fai suddenly asked as he ate a fork full of lettuce.

Kurogane looked up at him and frowned. "Yui?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

This world's Fai seemed to have caught what he said and looked down at his plate, smiling softly. "Yeah… Never thought I'd be able to talk about him this easily, but I realized something."

Kurogane swallowed. "What's that?"

This world's Fai looked up at Kurogane and smiled. "That he wouldn't want us to just pretend like he didn't exist. He did, and we have a bunch of great memories of him, so we should focus on those, not on the painful part. Although, that's a bit easier said than done…"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes a bit and looked down at his plate of barely touched food. Questions ran through his mind, but he knew he couldn't ask this world's Fai. He was supposed to know everything that had happened, and he didn't want to bring unnecessary attention to himself.

This world's Fai looked at his watch and sighed. "I have to get back to work." He pulled some papers out of his pocket and threw them onto the table to pay for the food. He stood up and walked around the table to Kurogane. "Have a good day, and I'll see you at home tonight."

Kurogane started to say something, but was cut off when this world's Fai leaned down and pressed their lips together. Kurogane's eyes widened, and when this world's Fai pulled away from him, he had to resist the urge to reach out and pull him closer again.

This world's Fai smiled and waved before turning around to cross the street. He looked carefully, making sure no cars were coming, before running across and walking back into his store.

Kurogane cursed to himself and stood up, leaving the restaurant and heading back towards the inn. How come every other Fai he met was in a relationship with him?!

He shook his head as he walked into the inn and up towards their room. He opened the door and stopped when he saw bags and clothes strewn across the room. Syaoran was standing in the middle of the room with a blush on his face as Fai fixed the clothes he was wearing.

"Syaoran, you look so adorable!" Fai cried. He was now wearing a bright shirt and tight, light colored pants.

Kurogane felt his left eye twitched and shut the door behind him, getting their attention. "What the hell is all of this?"

"Oh, Kuro-puu! How was your date with me?" Fai asked, smiling slyly.

Kurogane stalked over to him, avoiding the clothes on the floor. "What the hell, mage? Did you waste all of our money on these damn clothes?"

"Of course not!" Fai said, putting a hand on his chest. "I am an exceptional shopper, and I was able to find amazing sales. You wouldn't believe how little I spent on all of this. And of course I didn't forget about you."

A large bag was shoved into Kurogane's arms, and he hesitantly peeked inside, letting out a breath of relief when he saw normal, simple clothes inside. Nothing crazy like what the mage was wearing. He looked at Syaoran and was happy to see that the kid was wearing normal clothes too, but he still looked flustered.

Fai began walking around and picking up the clothes, throwing them into different bags. "So, tell me, how was lunch?" He asked.

Kurogane put the bag down and crossed his arms. "He's even more annoying than you are."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes, unable to keep himself from thinking of what this world's Fai had said about Yui, remembering the look on his face. It was rare to see Fai have such a look, whether it was his Fai or a Fai from another world.

"Hey kid, are you going back to research?" Kurogane asked.

Syaoran looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I was going to go back soon."

Kurogane nodded and grabbed some clothes from the bag. "I'll go with you, just give me a few minutes," He said as he disappeared into the bathroom to change.

Fai and Syaoran looked at each other, and it was Mokona who bounced onto Syaoran's head and said, "I wonder why Kuro-puu wants to go with Syaoran!"

Fai shrugged. "Maybe he has something he wants to look up."

A little while later, the group was leaving. Kurogane and Syaoran went one way while Fai and Mokona went the other. The room they were staying in had a small kitchen, and Fai had wanted to cook something, so he and Mokona were venturing off to find a food store.

"Why did you want to come with me, Kurogane?" Syaoran asked, looking up at the taller male.

Kurogane shoved his hands into the pockets of his new pants. "I'm sure that idiot told you that I ran into this world's Fai, and he made me go eat lunch with him."

Syaoran nodded, so Kurogane continued.

"Don't tell the mage this, but this world's Fai had a twin," Kurogane said.

"Had?" Syaoran asked.

Kurogane nodded. "I think he died, and I wanted to know how."

Syaoran nodded in understanding and led Kurogane up the steps to the library. Syaoran went off to continue what he had been researching before and Kurogane left to try and find something, but he didn't know where to start.

After wandering around, looking at different books aimlessly, he went to the desk and looked at the short woman behind it. "Do you have any sort of archives here? About people?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Archives?" She asked. "I can't let you see our main archives, but we do have old newspapers. Whatever you're looking for might be in one of those."

Kurogane nodded and let her lead him back to a room full of boxes. She pointed at one and looked at Kurogane.

"Each box has the month's newspapers in it, and this is for this month," She explained. "They go back about three years. And please be careful, we don't want any of them to be ripped."

Kurogane nodded and let her leave. He decided to start a couple of months back, figuring that this world's Fai would still be in a large state of grieving if he had lost his bother this month or even the previous one.

Kurogane frowned and began looking through the newspapers. Then again, it had taken Fai his entire life to accept his brother's death.

He shook the thought from his head and concentrated on what he was looking for. He looked for hours, skimming through paper after paper and getting a few small cuts on his hands in the process.

He found what he was looking for in a box ten months back. He skimmed the first page and then opened it, finding two people identical to Fai looking at him through the paper.

He looked at the heading above the paper.

_Young Man Dies Tragically in Car Accident_

He frowned and read the story. This world's Yui had been out and crossing the street when an impaired driver hit him. According to the paper, he survived the trip to the hospital and it wasn't until his twin had arrived and the two had seen each other one last time that he passed away. His minded drifted back to when this world's Fai had crossed the street, and how careful he had been.

He looked around and ripped the article from the paper, folding it up small enough to hide in his pocket. He left the room and looked around, finding the library almost completely empty. He found Syaoran sitting at a table surrounded by books, his nose buried in one.

"Oi, kid," Kurogane said when he was next to Syaoran. Syaoran looked up at him and blinked. "Let's go. You're going to read so much that your eyes will fall out."

Syaoran smiled and closed the book, and Kurogane helped him put the many volumes he had picked out away. "This world has a very fascinating history," Syaoran said as they walked back to the inn. "It's been developing its technology for some time now. The country that we're in used to have a bad economy, but in the past ten years it has boomed and the country is prospering now."

Kurogane grunted in acknowledgement. He wasn't as interested in history as Syaoran was, but that didn't mean he wouldn't listen.

"So? Did you find what you were looking for?" Syaoran asked.

Kurogane nodded and felt the paper in his pocket. "Yeah, I did."

When they arrived at their room, they found Fai standing in front of the tiny stove, an apron wrapped around his front and his hair held back by a band. "Welcome back! Dinner is almost done," He said as he stirred something in a pot.

Kurogane looked at Fai and then walked over to the bed to sit and take his shoes off. The only noise in the room until dinner was finished was Fai and Mokona's chattering, which Kurogane wasn't paying attention to.

Dinner was delicious, as to be expected from Fai. Kurogane was sure that he used some sort of strange magic to make the food taste so good, but he didn't complain. Syaoran had gone to the bathroom for a bath after they finished eating, leaving Fai and Kurogane alone.

Fai began cleaning up the dishes, and Kurogane grabbed his wrist to stop him. Fai looked at Kurogane and smiled. "What's up, Kuro-sama? I can clean up by myself," Fai said.

Kurogane shook his head. "Sit down. I want to show you something."

Fai smiled and sat back down at the small table. "Sounds serious."

Kurogane didn't say anything. He just pulled the article from the newspaper from his pocket and unfolded it, holding it out for Fai to take. Fai took the piece of paper into his hands, and as soon as he saw the picture his smile fell away.

The room was quiet for a few minutes as Fai read and reread the article. "Huh," Fai finally said, breaking the silence. "How did you find this?"

"This is what I was looking for when I went with the kid today," Kurogane said. "The Fai from this world brought up his brother Yui. It made me curious."

Fai smiled a bit. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Or I guess the dog, in your case."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes, ready to snap at the blonde, but Fai held the picture up, distracting him.

"Do you mind if I take this?" Fai asked. Kurogane shook his head mutely and Fai began carefully tearing the picture out.

When he had the picture free, Fai sat staring at it for a moment, taking in every single detail. The picture was in color, letting Fai see the blue in the twins' eyes and just how blonde their hair was. Yui's hair was longer, similar to his own, and a soft smile spread at his lips. Fai had a much larger smile on his face and had his arm wrapped around his twin, pulling him close.

"I know it might seem pointless," Fai said quietly. "But sometimes it's nice to imagine what it would have been like to grow up with Fai in a normal world like this one."

Kurogane looked at Fai, seeing the same soft look on his face that the Fai of this world had shown him during their meal. Quiet moments with Fai like this didn't happen too often; only when they were alone and usually when it was late at night would Fai fully let his walls down.

Although the smiles Fai showed now were real and he was truthfully happy, Kurogane knew that he would never be free of his past. Kurogane knew the feeling all too well; although he tried his hardest to not think of the past, sometimes the past slapped you in the face and made you think of it.

It made Kurogane feel a bit happy to know that Fai was now willing to show how he really felt in front of him now.

Kurogane sighed and let his hand land on top of Fai's haid, messing his hair up a bit. "It's perfectly understandable," He said. He had at least been raised with his parents; Fai had gone practically his entire life without his brother. Kurogane could understand why he would want to pretend sometimes.

Fai looked up at Kurogane and smiled tensely, obviously trying to keep his tears back. He quickly wiped his eyes when he heard Syaoran emerging from the bathroom and wrote some magic runes above his hand, letting the picture sink into his skin so that he could keep it safe and have it with him at all times.

Mokona suddenly bounced onto the table, scaring both Kurogane and Fai, who had forgotten she was there. Fai sighed quietly when he saw her glowing earring and the group stood came together so that they could all be sucked into the magic portal together.

"Is there anywhere in particular we want to go next?" Fai asked, willing to use his magic to get them to a world they had visited before.

Syaoran smiled. "Let's just see where we're taken."

Kurogane let himself smile a bit and shut his eyes, wishing luck to this world's Fai as they were magically taken from it.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I have so many ideas so these oneshots are coming out a bit quicker than I thought they would haha. In today's chapter, Fai and Kurogane find themselves in a bit of a predicament when they land in the new world.**

* * *

The first thing Fai felt when they landed in the next world was cold, the kind of cold that make bit at your nose and foretold snow. He looked around, finding them in the middle of a forest full of tall, dark green trees.

"Mokona, can you give us some clothes to help against this weather?" Fai asked.

Mokona nodded and gave the group the cloaks from Clow, and Fai his blue coat from Celes. "It's so cold!" Mokona cried as she hid under Syaoran's cloak.

Fai nodded. "And the clothes from Clow are meant to keep the desert sand out, not the cold." He looked around and then at the ground. "There's a path here… I'll see if I can find a place for us to stay."

"Fai, we should go together," Syaoran said.

Fai shook his head. "You're not used to this weather, Syaoran." He frowned and shook his head. "It's getting dark… And I feel like there won't be anywhere to stay for miles. Maybe you could begin building some sort of shelter."

"And what about you?" Kurogane asked.

Fai smiled. "_We_ are going to go look for some food, Kuro-pon." He looked back at Syaoran and smiled. "Think you can handle it?"

Syaoran nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Fai and Kurogane left to find food a few minutes later, following the path on the ground. "Poor Syaoran must be freezing. How are you feeling, Kuro-sama?"

Kurogane shrugged. "This is similar to the colder winters in Nihon. It's uncomfortable, but I've dealt with it before."

Fai nodded and looked around. "It's strange to be in a place that's cold like this without snow."

Kurogane snorted. "Not all places are stuck in a snow storm, you know."

Fai laughed and nodded. "That's true, but—"

The two had been walking side by side, paying attention only to the woods around them as they tried to find food, when the ground disappeared from beneath their feet. Fai thought that he let out a scream as he fell, but he couldn't remember.

All he knew was that he was opening his eyes and looking up at the sky from a place much lower than he had been before. His eyes widened in fear because suddenly he was thrown back in time to when he was trapped at the base of that tower, and a shock of fear tore through him. Why was he back there? Had he dreamt everything? What was happening?

"You're awake," Kurogane mumbled from next to him, snapping him back to reality. He looked over at Kurogane and relief flowed through his veins. "Don't move."

Fai furrowed his brows and tried to sit up, but a pain in his arm stopped him. He looked down and his eyes widened when he saw his arm bent at a strange angle, the bone obviously broken. Then the pain started setting in.

"Just lie down," Kurogane said. "The kid will come looking for us eventually."

"What happened?" Fai asked through clenched teeth, his breathing rough as pain shot up his arm and down his spine.

Kurogane shrugged. "We weren't paying attention," He said. "Someone must have dug this hole as a trap of some sort, maybe for animals. It's just deep enough to possibly cripple whoever falls in."

"Are you hurt?" Fai asked, looking over at Kurogane. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and Kurogane's eyes shone through.

"I hit my head," Kurogane said. "But you got the worst of it."

Fai reached up with his good hand and touched his head, feeling something wet and hot on his skin and matting his hair. "So that explains the headache," He said quietly as he closed his eyes.

"Don't fall asleep," Kurogane said, moving closer to Fai.

Fai groaned and opened his eyes, looking up at the dark sky. "But I'm tired."

"Sleeping could kill you," Kurogane said. "I was worried enough that you wouldn't wake up, so I'm not going to let you sleep now."

Fai smiled lazily. "You worried about me?"

Kurogane looked away. "You almost cracked your head open and broke your harm practically in half."

Fai forced himself to keep his eyes open and looked over at Kurogane. "Thanks for worrying." He looked back up at the hole above them. "Why don't you try to climb out?"

Kurogane grunted and looked up at the earth walls around him. "I tried. I can't get any footing. I barely got up before I'd slip back down. Syaoran will find us eventually though."

It sounded like trying to climb up that tower, Fai thought briefly. It was silent for a few minutes. "It's snowing," Fai said quietly.

Kurogane looked up and saw white flakes falling down to them, melting by the time they hit the ground. Kurogane looked back at Fai, who had his eyes closed, a pained look on his face. "Oi, I said to not fall asleep," Kurogane said.

Fai nodded. "I know," He said. "But… It's hard to look up."

Kurogane tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "It's hard?"

Fai turned his head and opened his eyes to look at Kurogane. "It reminds me of when I was a kid," He said, not wanting to say the words of that pit aloud. He wanted to pretend that it had never existed.

Kurogane cursed mentally. Of course being in a place like this would be hard for Fai, especially when it was snowing. Kurogane moved closer to Fai and lied down next to him, draping his large cloak over them like a blanket. Fai looked at Kurogane questioningly, but Kurogane didn't look back.

"You were alone in that place," Kurogane said lowly. "But you're not alone here. So don't think about it."

Fai smiled and rested his head on Kurogane's shoulder, shutting his eyes but concentrating on the cold snow falling onto his cheeks to keep him awake. "You're so kind, Kuro-sama," He said quietly.

Kurogane scoffed and looked away, happy that it was dark because he didn't want the pink on his cheeks to show.

Fai smiled and opened his eyes, not feeling scared of the snow falling on him anymore. "Even if you won't admit it, you are. You were always looking out for me, and Syaoran and Sakura too, and even Mokona. You saved me multiple times, and you even sacrificed your freedom to me by agreeing to be my prey, and you gave up your arm for me."

"If I can, I'm going to prevent a death," Kurogane said. After his parents died, he vowed to never let anyone he cared about die ever again. Although he would never admit it, he cared about Fai.

Fai looked at Kurogane, trying to see him in the dark. "Well, I know I didn't say it then, so I'll say it now. Thank you, Kuro-sama. I'm happy you saved me. I'm happy."

Kurogane looked over at Fai, finding the blue of his eyes piercing through the darkness like a light. He swallowed, caught off guard by Fai's confession.

He wasn't just happy to be alive, he was happy in general. Kurogane had never heard those words leave Fai's lips before, and he didn't know if he would ever hear them again, so he savored them. He forced himself to remember everything, even the way Fai's voice had sounded when he had said it.

Fai groaned and reached over to tentatively touch his broken arm, hissing in response. "I really wish I knew some healing magic right now," He mumbled quietly as he stopped touching his arm. He sighed and looked up at the dark sky. "I wonder... If Fai would have been a healer," He said quietly. "I bet I could never learn healing spells because he was the one born with that talent. But he wouldn't know any hexes, either." He looked at Kurogane. "Why do you think every world we go to, the Fai there is like me and the Yui isn't?"

Kurogane shrugged. "Twins are strange," He said, remembering what his mother had told him when he was a child and twins were born in Suwa. "My mother told me that it's like one person being separated between two bodies. Maybe in each world, that one person is being separated differently."

Fai looked at Kurogane smiled. "That was very profound, Kuro-sama." He closed his eyes. "But it helps a bit. Now I know exactly what Fai would have been like. I'm sure you would have liked him more than me."

"He would have been less annoying," Kurogane mumbled, making Fai laugh.

"That's mean, Kuro-sama," Fai said, even though he was smiling. "But it feels good... To be able to talk about him so easily."

"That's what the Fai from the last world said, too," Kurogane said.

"You think he's wherever people go when they die?" Fai asked quietly, finding it harder and harder to stay awake. "Maybe he's with your parents."

"I'm sure he thinks you're an idiot, too," Kurogane said, looking over at Fai.

"I'm sure he does," Fai mumbled.

Kurogane looked up when he heard footsteps and Fai opened his eyes to do the same, and then a light was being shined down on them.

"Kurogane? Fai?"

"It's Syaoran!" Fai said happily.

"Get us out of here, kid!" Kurogane yelled up.

The light disappeared for a moment and then came back, giving them enough light to see a rope being thrown down to them. "I tied it to a tree!" Syaoran called down. "Can you climb up?"

"Yeah, just wait there!" Kurogane yelled back.

He helped Fai sit up carefully, and Fai looked at the rope. "How am I supposed to climb up?"

"You can't," Kurogane said. He turned around and knelt in front of Fai. "This might hurt your arm a bit, but it's the only way to get you out of here."

Fai nodded and climbed onto Kurogane's back, wrapped his legs tightly around Kurogane's waist and gripping the front of Kurogane's shirt as tightly as he could while his hurt arm hung limp at his side.

It took a little while for Kurogane to climb up, and he was thankful that Fai was as skinny as he was, but carrying a full-grown man on your back wasn't easy. When he got to the top, he carefully put Fai down before sitting down and taking some deep breaths.

Syaoran shined the light over them, and Kurogane saw that he was holding the portable electronic light that they had bought in one of their previous worlds. He looked at Fai's arm and cringed.

"We need to get you to a world where you can get medical attention," Syaoran said.

Mokona jumped out of Syaoran's cloak, her earring glowing. "Good timing," Kurogane growled.

"Where should we go?" Fai asked. "Nihon? Clow?"

"Yukito should be able to help," Syaoran said with a nod.

Fai nodded and held up his good arm, the tips of his fingers glowing and ready to trace the runes. "Ready Mokona?"

Mokona nodded, and Fai began tracing the runes. Along with the help of Fai's magic, Mokona pulled them from the cold world.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I wanted to get this up sooner, but I visited home for the weekend and didn't bring my laptop!**

**So this one is very short, but don't worry! I'm already working on the next one, which should be pretty long. So sorry for the length, but I hope you still enjoy it!**

* * *

Kurogane felt himself hit something when they landed, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Sakura sitting on the floor, rubbing her tailbone. Great, he thought, he knocked a princess over.

Sakura didn't seem to care, however, because as soon as she saw who had landed in her bedroom, a grin broke out on her face. "Syaoran!" She cried happily.

Syaoran smiled like a lovesick puppy and then snapped out of it, gesturing to Fai, who was holding his arm with a grimace on his face. "Fai's hurt."

Sakura's eyes widened and she got up to walk over to them, looking at Fai's bent arm and sighing. "Can someone carry him? We'll bring him to Yukito."

It was left to Kurogane to carry Fai through the halls of the Clow palace. Syaoran and Sakura chatted easily in front of them, and Fai laughed. "Remember when she was first getting her memories back and they were too embarrassed to even look at each other?" He asked quietly.

Kurogane grunted, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Now they're just lovesick teenagers."

"Lucky them," Fai said, smiling up at Kurogane.

They walked into a large room, and Yukito already had a place for Fai ready, saying that he foresaw the whole ordeal in a dream. Kurogane left Fai in Yukito's care and left with the kid and the princess after being told by Yukito that it may take a few hours. To be honest, he was willing to stay in there no matter how long it took, but he didn't want to be questioned.

It was a few hours later when Fai found them in the large dining hall, his arm hanging in a sling that was wrapped around his neck. "How is it?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"According to Yukito, it will heal just fine," Fai said with a smile. "He was able to do a quite a bit, but it will have to stay like this for a bit in order to heal properly."

Kurogane looked into the sling and saw a splint on Fai's arm, keeping the bone in place. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Starving!" Fai said happily. "Is there any alcohol?"

"That's not food, you idiot," Kurogane growled as he handed Fai a plate full of food.

Fai grinned. "No, but it goes well with food."

Bottles of wine were brought to the table and Fai continued to pour himself glassful after glassful, eventually convincing Sakura to join them. By the time they were done, Fai was hiccupping and giggling, and Sakura was practically passed out and being carried away by Syaoran.

"Hey fur ball, go with the kid," Kurogane said, catching Syaoran's worried gaze as Sakura almost fell forward, unable to walk. "Make sure they're okay. I'll take care of this idiot."

Fai was saying something with words so slurred that Kurogane couldn't even understand him as he helped him up. "Kuro-wan is so big and strong!" Fai sang, leaning heavily on Kurogane.

"Idiot, stand up straight," Kurogane said as he forced Fai to begin walking towards the guest room they had been given. "You're going to hurt your arm even more if you're not careful."

"Oh yeah," Fai said with a hiccup. "I forgot that Kuro-wan worries about me!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and sat Fai down on his bed, watching as the blonde lied down and grabbed a pillow to press against his stomach. Kurogane shook his head and went over to his own bed, sitting down on it with his back to Fai.

"Kuro-puu, sleep with me!" Fai called over, his words slurring together.

Kuroane rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, right. Just go to sleep."

Kurogane heard Fai mumbling something, and listened as Fai's voice grew quieter and quieter until it completely faded away. He turned around and looked at him, finding the mage passed out.

He sighed and lied down on his bed, not bothering to change into the clothes that had been provided for them. Fai had said a lot while they were stuck in that hole, things that he was sure Fai would never say again. He couldn't help but wonder why Fai had decided to confide in him so much, but he was happy for it.

It was proof that Fai really was able to move on from his past and become stronger. Kurogane thought back to when they had first met and glanced over at Fai. He still acted like the same idiot, but Kurogane found himself getting annoyed less because Fai was acting like an idiot out of happiness.

Fai mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over onto his back. Kurogane smiled a bit. He also didn't bury his face into his pillow when he slept anymore. Kurogane used to worry that Fai was going to suffocate himself, but now he had nothing to worry about. Although he still slept on his stomach, his face often turned out, and Kurogane often woke up to find Fai sprawled out on his back. It was nice, because Fai used to worry so much that he couldn't even find relaxation in his sleep.

Kurogane closed his eyes and rested his hands behind his head, and sleep came to him easily.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Alright, here's a bit of a longer chapter for you all! I had a lot of fun writing this one. It might be a little while until my next chapter however because I'm sick and I also have a lot of work and studying to do, so we'll have to see.**

**Anyway, in this chapter, the group lands in a strange world where something happens and causes Fai and Kurogane to do something they might regret**

* * *

Kurogane woke up to something bouncing on his stomach. He grabbed Mokona and glared at her. "Listen here, you fur ball," He growled lowly.

"But Kuro-puu!" She cried, pointing up to her glowing earring.

Kurogane sighed and stood up, looking around and not finding anyone. "Is everyone else awake?"

Mokona nodded and jumped onto Kurogane's shoulder to ride with him as he left the bedroom. He found everyone standing together, ready to leave. Sakura looked very sad, and Fai and Syaoran were trying to cheer her up.

"We can visit all the time," Fai said as he ruffled Sakura's hair with his good arm.

Sakura wiped her eyes and nodded. "Visit as often as possible!"

Syaoran smiled and nodded. "We'll try, princess."

She smiled at Syaoran's words, and then Mokona's magic was pulling them away from Clow. Fai heard Sakura yelling goodbye to them, but then he didn't hear anything.

Actually, what had he been hearing again?

Where had he been?

Where was he going?

He couldn't remember.

He opened his eyes and blinked slowly, looking around. He was in a small bedroom, and he sat up, rubbing his head with his good arm, the other hanging in a sling. He didn't know what he had been trying to remember. Probably some strange dream.

He shrugged and stood up to begin getting ready for work. He left his small apartment with a to-go mug in his good hand, trying to figure out a way to hold it while locking his door. He eventually got his door locked and walked to the elevator, having to run to get to it before the doors shut.

Inside there was a tall, tan man whose arms were crossed. Fai tilted his head as he stared at the man; he seemed familiar, but Fai had never seen him before.

"What?" The man snapped.

Fai jumped and smiled. "Sorry, you just look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Hell if I know," The man said.

"Well, I'm Fai," Fai said.

"Kuro—"

The doors opened and a group of chattering women stepped inside, stepping between Fai and the man—Kuro-something—and cutting off their conversation.

Fai shrugged and got off with everyone else on the ground floor, walking out of the building and down the street. He was a home economics teacher at the local high school, a job which he loved because who didn't love cooking?

He couldn't help but notice the fact that Kuro-something was going the same way as him, and he slowed down to get closer to him. "Do you work at the school, Kuro-sama?"

Kuro-something looked at him, seemingly irritated. "Yeah, I just started as the gym teacher. And my name's Kurogane."

Fai smiled and took a sip from his mug. "Whatever you say, Kuro-rin."

"What the hell did you just-?!" Kurogane yelled, turning and lifting his fist to punch Fai. He stopped when he saw Fai's arm hanging in the sling and took a deep breath. "How did that happen?"

Fai looked down at his arm and blinked, all of the memories suddenly rushing into his head as if someone were putting them there. "I… I guess I fell down the stairs," He said quietly.

"You guess?" Kurogane asked.

Fai looked at Kurogane and smiled. "It's a little fuzzy! I think I hit my head too!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and looked away. "Idiot," He mumbled.

Fai just smiled and looked ahead at the school. The two walked through the doors of the school and went their separate ways. Fai stepped into his classroom and smiled at all of the students inside. They all perked up when he walked inside, anxious to know what they were cooking that day.

"You all look hungry, so let's make some breakfast things," Fai said with a grin.

Throughout the rest of the day, he stayed in his room, teaching his students how to cook different meals. The only time he got to leave was during lunch, which he took advantage of. He walked to the teacher's lounge, holding some change in his hand to use at the vending machine.

When he walked into the small room, he was surprised to see only Kurogane sipping at a cup of coffee while reading a packet of paper. "So we meet again, Kuro-pon," Fai said as he walked over to the vending machine.

"You better stop calling me those goddamn nicknames," He heard Kurogane say behind him.

Fai laughed and picked out a few things, spending his money carelessly. He sat down at the table with Kurogane and dumped his food onto the table. Kurogane looked over and grimaced at the site of the unhealthy foods.

"That stuff'll kill you," Kurogane said as Fai ripped the plastic packaging off of a cinnamon roll.

"Everybody dies," Fai said. "At least I'll die eating what I love."

Everyday continued like that. Fai always met Kurogane on his way out of the apartment, and even though Kurogane acted like he hated Fai, he still walked with him to the school. They always ended up in the teacher's lounge together, sometimes alone, sometimes with other teachers.

One day a few weeks later, when Fai had been able to take off the sling and use his arm freely, he made sandwiches early in the morning. He smiled as he carried them towards Kurogane's office. He was getting tired of the vending machine's food, and Kurogane only ever had a cup of coffee.

He spotted the open door of Kurogane's office and stepped inside. "Oh, Kuro-sama—"

Fai stopped when he spotted two students in Kurogane's office, one a boy and the other a girl. Kurogane got their attention back from Fai and continued saying what he was saying, and Fai stared at the two. They seemed familiar somehow, but he was sure that he had never met them before.

The two turned towards Fai, new gym uniforms in their hands. The girl smiled. "You're Mr. Fai, right? The home economics teacher?" She asked.

Fai nodded and smiled. "That's me."

"We're both in your class," The boy said. "I'm Syaoran."

"And I'm Sakura," The girl said.

"I can't wait to see you in there, Syaoran and Sakura," Fai said, stepping out of the way to let them out. He looked at Kurogane, who shrugged.

"New students, I guess," The taller man said.

Fai frowned and looked at the door. "They seemed familiar, like I had met them before."

Kurogane nodded. "I kind of felt that too, but it's nothing. Anyway, why are you here?"

Fai smiled and held up the wrapped sandwiches. "I made lunch! I thought we could eat them in here!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes but took a sandwich from Fai's hand. "What are you, a housewife?"

"Nope, just a home economics teacher," Fai answered with a smile.

Kurogane snorted and unwrapped his sandwich to begin eating. The two ate in silence, and Fai was aimlessly walking around Kurogane's office and looking at the different things around it. He ended up at the open window, where birds were gathering because of the fact that he was throwing small pieces of bread onto the grass.

Fai turned to look over his shoulder, finding Kurogane staring at him. Fai smiled and held out his hand, watching as a small bird flew over and landed on his finger. "Kuro-sama?" Fai asked.

Kurogane blinked and crossed his arms. "What?"

"Why are you staring?" Fai asked, catching Kurogane off guard. "Do you have a crush on me or something?" He asked teasingly.

Kurogane didn't say anything. He just lowered his chin a bit and looked to the side. Fai blinked, the smile falling from his face. He stood up straight, the bird flying away from him, and turned to face Kurogane.

"Kuro—"

The bell rang, ending the lunch period.

"Come on, we both have class," Kurogane said as he turned to walk out of his office, leaving Fai behind him.

Fai eventually went to his room and taught the rest of his classes, thinking of Kurogane the whole time. Why hadn't he said anything? Did he really have feelings for Fai? Even though he acted like he hated him?

Fai frowned and looked down at the ground as he walked home from the school. He had decided to just head home rather than try to find Kurogane like he usually did. He looked up at the sky, watching as the sun set slowly.

How long had it been since he met Kurogane, anyway? He thought back to the first day they met, to the strange dream he couldn't remember and the fact that Kurogane had been so familiar to him. From the day they met, he knew exactly what to say to annoy Kurogane and exactly what to do to bring them closer.

But they had never met before they started working together, so why did he know all of these things?

Fai thought about it the whole night and even into the next morning. He fell asleep thinking of Kurogane and woke up thinking of Kurogane. He brushed his teeth and hair and poured his coffee thinking of Kurogane.

He stepped onto the elevator, watching as the doors began to close. A hand shot out to stop them and the doors parted again, revealing Kurogane. As soon as he saw Fai, he stiffened and stepped inside slowly.

The two didn't say anything the whole walk to the school, and went to their different rooms. Fai sighed as he walked into his classroom, unable to concentrate on teaching his students because of Kurogane and just put on a movie for them to watch.

How dare he distract him like this?

When the lunch bell rang, he marched down to Kurogane's office and opened the door without knocking. Kurogane looked up and frowned when he saw Fai.

"What?" Kurogane asked, standing up.

Fai frowned. "I couldn't teach my class because of you!" He yelled, closing the door behind him as he stepped inside.

"Huh?" Kurogane said in confusion.

"I asked you that question yesterday, and you didn't say anything!" Fai exclaimed. "And now I can't stop thinking about it! So what is your answer? Because I can't keep teaching like this! I can't let you distract me because—"

Fai didn't notice that Kurogane had been walking towards him until Kurogane grabbed his wrist to pull him closer and he felt lips close over his. Fai's eyes widened, feeling Kurogane let go of his wrist to wrap around his waist while his other hand tangled itself into Fai's blonde hair.

Fai couldn't help himself and let his eyes slide shut while his arms reached up to wrap around Kurogane's neck. Kurogane began walking, moving Fai with him, and then Fai's back was on the top of Kurogane's desk.

Kurogane pulled away from Fai's lips to move down and kiss at Fai's long neck. Fai's mouth opened at the feeling of Kurogane's lips ghosting over his skin, and he forced himself to speak.

"W-Wait—" He started, Kurogane's lips over his cutting him off again.

Fai couldn't bring himself to even try and stop Kurogane. He couldn't convince himself that what was happening was wrong because it felt so right, like they were meant to kiss each other so hungrily. Fai gasped into Kurogane's mouth when he felt large, warm hands slide under his shirt, feeling the skin of his back and sides.

Kurogane left Fai's lips again to begin sucking at Fai's neck, making Fai bite his bottom lip.

The two froze when the door creaked open, their eyes wide. Had they been caught?

Kurogane looked up, his hands sliding away from Fai's skin and making the blonde feel cold. "No one's there," Kurogane said quietly.

Suddenly, something jumped up onto Kurogane's desk. Fai shot to a standing position and stood next to Kurogane, looking at the small, white… thing that was there.

"What the hell?" Kurogane asked, looking at the thing with wide eyes.

"Fai! Kurogane!" The thing said, its voice high.

"It talks?" Fai asked quietly.

"How the hell do you know our names?" Kurogane demanded.

"You don't remember!" The thing said. "Syaoran and Sakura don't remember either!"

"Syaoran?" Kurogane asked quietly to himself.

"And Sakura?" Fai asked.

The thing nodded. "This world made you all forget everything! Mokona had to look everywhere to find you!"

"What do you mean, this world?" Kurogane asked.

"You'll know when we leave!" The white thing said. "But you have to follow me!"

Fai shrugged and began following the small thing when it bounced off of the desk. Kurogane grumbled and followed behind him. They stopped outside of the school, finding Syaoran and Sakura there too.

"Mr. Fai," Sakura said quietly. "Do you know what's going on?"

Fai shook his head. "Not a clue."

His eyes widened when he felt himself behind pulled away, as if he were being lifted up and away from the ground. He looked up and saw that the white thing was using some sort of magic to carry them away, and when all he could see were the intricate lines of the magic surrounding them, he remembered everything.

He looked up at Kurogane, who must have just remembered as well, because he looked back at him. The two immediately looked away from each other and Fai shut his eyes, letting Mokona carry him away from the world where he had forgotten who he was.


End file.
